Trudeau's father was well known as a supporter and contributor to the bilateral relationship, and many observers in both countries have pinned hopes on Justin Trudeau to continue the legacy of diplomacy.
Meanwhile, the family diplomacy episode seems to have attracted far more public attention inside and outside China than the official talks between the two leaders.
As of noon on Friday, another tweet by Trudeau about the welcoming ceremony and talks received 130 "likes", while the tweet of the lakeside chat received 2,414.
Similarly, the same postings on his Chinese microblog received 427 and 1,877 thumbs up, respectively.
Family diplomacy also took place when Trudeau and his wife traveled to China about three weeks ago with their daughter.